The present invention pertains to floor sweepers, and in particular to a sweeper having a unique dust bin construction. In floor sweepers, dust bins are positioned adjacent a rotative brush element to receive and collect the dirt and debris which is swept up by the brush. The emptying of the dust bin is generally accomplished by either removing the bin from the sweeper or pivoting the bin from its operative position to a dumping position.
The removal option facilitates easier dumping of the contents. The bin is knocked against the side of the trash receptacle or the like, to loosen and more easily dump the debris held therein. However, the removal and reattachment of the bins is a cumbersome activity requiring the user to typically bend over and latch or unlatch the bin from its housing. Furthermore, sudden jarring movements may be experienced in the removal of the bin, which may cause some of the debris to be spilled onto the floor and thereby create an additional cleaning task for the user.
In the pivoting dust bin arrangement, the bins are much more easily oriented to their dumping position. However, due to the nature of the debris collected and the amount of filling incurred between dumpings, the debris tends to become entwined and compacted into a mass which is not easily removed. In these situations, the user must resort to either attempting to rap the entire sweeper against the side of the trash receptacle, which is an unwieldy operation, or to slightly inverting the sweeper and digging out the debris with a finger or implement.